Brett Duke/The Times-PicayuneThe long-vacant Mervyn's at The Esplanade could eventually be remade into a Target.The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended Wednesday that the Kenner City Council approve a plan to convert the vacant Mervyn's store at The Esplanade mall into a Target department store. The council is set to vote April 22 on the proposal.

The property owners applied for a permit making a change to the planned unit development that now governs the area. If the council approves it, Target may move forward with a contract with Simon Properties Inc., the mall owner, City Hall said.

Target officials could not be reached Friday.

"This is good news for Kenner and its business community," said Mayor Ed Muniz, who praised the commission's action as a "significant step toward restoring The Esplanade's position as a major retailing center in the region."

The plan calls for demolishing the two-story, 84,082-square-foot Mervyn's building and building a 138,280-square-foot, single-story building for Target.